


Alternate Gods

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Interdimensional Bridge [21]
Category: Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Alternate Universe, Chaos, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-25
Updated: 2006-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-09 02:47:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the destruction of the old Chaos Gods, Emily Jordan seeks to bring in worshippers for a set of dark gods from an alternate universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Vindictus

The Starfire-class cruiser commandeered by Emily Jordan and her ragtag group of cultists flew on. Whatever name it originally had had been erased and replaced by the name 'Cruel Whisper'. Urians, Cybions, Elkandu, Euphorians, and various pirates and other galactic scum made up its motley crew. She wasn't fully certain just where she was trying to go precisely, but she had a fair idea at least.

Oh how it grated the soul to be reduced to serving a pale imitation of true glory! Danir and the small handful of his men who had managed to evade the vengeful sweeps to clear the forces of Chaos from the blasted lands of Torn Elkandu had joined the thin blood of this new crusade as a slender hope. He had little faith or respect in the so-called 'gods' of this domain, but he would certainly bide his time and await opportunity.

His tread was heavy within the confines of the defiled Terminator armor which served as life and breath for him, its surface pitted by the scars of a thousand thousand worlds which had fallen before Chaos Undivided, each a badge of pride in his gleaming eyes. Those malefic orbs turn disdainfully to observe the bridge as he enters, the thick fingers of his power-fisted hand clutching angrily around the jagged hilt of the foul blade at his side.

Emily stalked about the bridge. She had received word that they were soon to arrive at their destination. She wished that she knew more about where they were going, but after the Empire back at home kept sending Death Dancers after them, and halted their every great attempt, she'd felt it prudent to make a slight change in location for the moment.

"You sent for me?" Danir grated, approaching the fragile-seeming woman with a look of clear disdain. She was certainly no Abaddon to instantly command loyalty and fear in his darkened heart, and the words were drawn from him as though chewing barbed-wire... and not nearly so pleasing.

Emily turned to look up at him. She was wearing a black leather jacket and a shirt that seemed to barely bother covering her breasts, skintight leather pants, and the silver talisman around her neck glowing faintly, its eyes flickering. "We will be arriving within the hour," she said. "You are no doubt more familiar with this locale than I."

"No doubt," Danir replied with a sneer, the flicker of interest that might have coursed through his veins in years past at the display of flesh long chilled and scoured clean by the pure burning flames of the Warp. "What would you have of me, then?" he asked. "The worlds which lay waiting as fruit to be plucked will require greater forces than I've seen aboard _this_ vessel."

"And that is why we go there," she said coldly. "To seek allies. More souls to serve the Nameless Ones. The Death Dancers will soon learn their folly in opposing _me_..."

"I'm sure," Danir replied sarcastically. "Why don't your 'Nameless Ones' provide the means much as the divine foulness of Chaos once did? Surely their might is not so weakened and their light so dimmed that they need to look for assistance." He knew he pressed the matter sorely, but that was the way of things until full understanding of place and power was made. He had yet seen little to impress him.

Emily looked over at him, her eyes glowing darkly for a moment. "Do you think that they do not?" Black lightning crackled around her for a moment in such a manner that made every redshirt in the area take a step away. "But there are limits to what they can do in the physical realm, as I'm sure you must be aware of."

"Your tricks do not impress me," Danir replied, gesturing to the red shirts nearby. "I am not one to be so readily cowed by a mere glimmer, a pale shadow of the true glory which Chaos vomited forth from the Warp. Perhaps that weakness seeks to fill the void left by the greater powers, but I somehow doubt that the strength and mettle required are present in truth."

"The Nameless Ones, unfettered by their bounds within the Ethereal Plane, brought total death and destruction down upon the entire universe, to the point to which it was required of a handful of powerful Elkandu to go back in time and change the past in order to prevent that from happening again. In doing so, they bound the Nameless Ones ever more tightly to the Ethereal Plane, but they could not destroy them, for they are life and death incarnate."

Hollow, booming laughter met her proclamation, mocking the concept. "Then not only weak but _fools_!" Danir retorted. "What use of destruction and carnage without direction? What strength lies in allowing mere mortal creatures to bind their supposed power away? I think your devotion to these beings is as irrelevant as mankind's to the False Emperor, bitch."

Emily grinned in a positively insane manner. "But when they were bound, they were bound to _me_. I do not serve them... they, in fact, serve _me_. I was meant to be their caretaker, to direct their power and ensure that it was not sent off without purpose or point."

Danir snorted dismissively. "Your idle boasts bore me. _You_!" he turned to point at a red shirt, the heavy bolters at his forearm likely drawing more attention than the gesture itself. "There is work to be done, wretch, and as you value your flesh you will see it done immediately. There is a world lost to darkness ages ago, prepare a course on bearing..." He rattled off a string of referents, wholly ignoring Emily at this point.

The redshirt squeaked in terror and proceeded to do it as fast as humanly possible. Emily fumed quietly, a crackling aura slowly surrounding her and the gemstone eyes of her talisman shifting blood red.

Danir glanced aside at her and sneered, "You have much to learn if you seek dominion, witch." He then returned his attention to the bridge as a whole, a sharp-toothed grin entirely reminiscent of a shark's taking in the remainder of the crew present, "What are you standing around and gawking for, dogs? Back to your tasks or taste the lash!" Content, he turned away and went to examine a display of their course and projected arrival.

Suddenly, the entire bridge was cast in a blood red light and a wall of force emanating from Emily almost knocked the entire bridge crew off their feet. "Do not speak to me that way, dog!" she barked, lifting a hand and sending him crashing into a bulkhead, and making a bit of a dent in it as well.

"So, the bitch can bite," Danir grated, pushing himself away from the bulkhead with a scrape of metal as sharp protrusions of his armor extract from it. "Better yet." He grinned ferally, snapping the sword from its sheathe, an arc of sickly green left in the wake of the runes glowing along its length. "And here I was beginning to think you were going to be a bore."

Emily glowered at him, the lighting in the bridge not quite turning back to normal yet. The redshirts absolutely did not interfere. Emily snarled, "You will speak to me with respect or you will be sacrificed to the Nameless Ones. Do I make myself clear?"

Danir laughed mockingly, making no other reply as he strode with the ponderous might of the Terminator across the bridge to approach her. The bleached skulls impaled on the spiny racks at his shoulders seemed to moan as air passed through them, or perhaps it was the blade that he raises in preparation to slice the witch in half.

Emily glared at him in rage, and she said one word quietly but fiercely, but quiet enough that only he could hear it: "Vedalot." No more than the word left her lips than he found himself held in place, and a lash of incredible agony ripped through him.

Pain was an old friend, a companion of countless campaigns, yet there had Danir been able to reach forth and crush the throat of the enemy who had dared, to slake his thirst with their blood and feast on their flesh. Despair might be born of it in another, one weakened by their faith in false gods, but as he writhed and bellowed in suffering and fury it brought a darker and unholy joy at his core. Perhaps... perhaps...

Emily left him held there for several minutes before cutting it off with the barest gesture. "Now you have seen the smallest bit of the power of the God of Torment. Worse yet than simple pain is he capable of, though."

Danir collapsed to one knee as he was released, the vile blade clattering from now-nerveless fingers in the wake of the cessation of pain. He drew deep, gasping breaths, remaining silent for a long moment before turning a speculative and considerably less baleful gaze on the diminutive woman.

"Show weakness or betrayal, and I will kill you myself," he rasped defiantly, then bowed his head. "Yet shall I serve. What is your bidding, Mistress?"

The red cast of light in the room slowly returned to normal. "You will provide direction in this realm far from my home. We must find those who would serve my cause."

"As you command," Danir replied, rising stiffly, the sword returning to his hand and then its sheathe. "Though the Gods have deserted us, there will be those on many worlds yet awaiting, shivering for lack of a lash to guide them. I can't say that the forces of the false Emperor have not routed many of their number, but they are legion indeed and even more doubtless remain."

She gave a curt nod and stepped back. The eyes of her talisman cooled to a vibrant purple hue. The redshirts relaxed slightly and calmed down a bit as they didn't seem to be getting smited at the moment. "Where is it that you have directed my crew?"

"The homeworld of one of the original traitor legions," Danir replied. "Long lost to the records of the Imperium and a source of a great many resources to the legions of Chaos. I doubt that the blight of any other race will have touched it, even now, and perhaps may we find considerable reinforcements there in terms of supply as well as ships and men."

Emily nodded sharply and said, "Very well." She turned and looked to the viewscreen. The Starfire-class was powered by an engine much like that of the Darknova, but being much larger and more powerful, it created a stronger field and did not require quite so skilled a pilot to navigate as the smaller ships seemed to here.

Danir remained standing silently nearby, having nothing further to add at the moment and not having been dismissed. There would be time to see whether this one proved a worthy champion of the foul powers, though what he had already tasted of it showed great promise in that regard. Strange that she had waited so long to assert dominance, though, a puzzle to be considered carefully.

"Navigator! ETA?" Emily demanded.

The navigator replied, "Twenty minutes, my lady."

Emily gave a nod and proceeded to pace some more in the intervening time, causing several redshirts to get very nervous when she got close to them.

"Provided that nothing has changed on the world hidden for thousands of years," Danir remarked. "Ninety minutes will place you much further along in your bid for dominion, Mistress. Factories dedicated to the manufacture of the great machines of war stand beside vast sprawling cities which serve as spawning grounds for the lesser minions."

"Excellent," Emily commented. "What is the name of this world?" she asked.

"Once it was known as Cerlon Four," Danir replied. "After it was first purged and then freed once more it was renamed Vindictus, for from its soil has sprung the sharp blade of Chaos to eviscerate our enemies time and again."

Emily gave a nod, and stood stoically watching the viewscreen as the ship completed its journey and began to approach the planet.

Long ago were the powers of Chaos set forth to darken it, the clouds of its black skies absorbing the light and leaving the impression of a hole in space where the planet should be. The system itself was clearly a busy one, though, as there were signs that the asteroid field between the fifth and sixth planets were teeming with mining ships and a deep space shipyard.

Danir stalked heavily over to examine the sensor returns, eyes lighting with dark delight at what he found in them. "It would indeed seem that all is not without purpose in coming here, Mistress. No signs of the Imperium or any other foe having rediscovered the system may be found."

"If they are aught like the Empire of my home galaxy, I would imagine that I would not be overly fond of them, either," Emily muttered grimly. "Bring us in, pilot," she snapped.

"Strange that none have moved to bar passage or demand identification," Danir's gaze sharpened as he looked from the sensors, then to the screens for a moment. "The mining ships are largely automated, so that's to be expected, but what of the patrols that watch for intrusion? Do they slumber while our enemies feast on the bones of the dark Gods?"

"Curious," Emily murmured quietly. "Most rebel bases back at home, even the ones furthest out on the fringe, kept closer watch than that. Well, when they weren't too busy having orgies to notice anyone approaching at least."

Danir growled deep in his throat, eyes flaring with light, "The last Black Crusade was broken upon the shoals, and they had best not be sitting idle with thoughts of debauchery or despair or I shall..." He curbed the growing rage and chopped the tirade short, though growled once more at the idea, subsiding in recognition that it was not _his_ place to decide.

Their approach was completely uncontested, no signs of patrols in near orbit even among the few great ships held in reserve there.

Emily frowned a bit at the complete lack of challenge as they approached, and once they entered orbit she ordered, "Initiate sensor scan. Send the scouts to do a complete sweep of the area."

It was clear that they'd been detected, as their sensors could detect the attention of ship and planet-bound scanner sweeps, and Danir fumed in silent rage at the sheer affront of it all. The scouts streaked out to all corners, but all return similar reports of any lack of any substantial activity even though the planet below was very heavily populated and didn't appear to be disrupted in any way.

And still the silence lingered, whether the sensor stations were even manned or not was unknown, and if they were then no one appeared to be paying them the least bit of attention.

Emily frowned and peered at the sensor readings warily. "And yet not a word of the comm." She barked to a random redshirt, "Ready my fighter. Prepare a landing party."

"Will you require an escort?" Danir inquired, the light in his eyes speaking clearly of restrained rage at the entire situation and a desire to crush the skulls of those who might be so remiss in their duties. Clearly the lash had been used too infrequently here of late, an oversight he would gladly see rectified.

"You will come," she said. "You are the one familiar with this place." She turned on her heel and headed for the lift, the gemstones on her talisman taking on a blue-violet tinge now.

"As you command," Danir responded in a rasp, following after and snapping quieter orders over his armor's comm to those of his unit to meet them at the landing bay. "I would recommend the offices of the planetary overseer," he remarked as they continued onward. "They are not too distant from the landing field and should provide answers to the questions you might ask."

Emily gave a nod and stepped into the lift, pressing the button for deck 12, where her Darknova was currently docked. As she had ordered, the ship was fully repaired and powered up, ready to go. She was always more comfortable with the Darknova, the preferred ship of many Death Dancers.

Five fully suited Terminators were waiting as they arrived at the landing bay, quick to obey the command of their master in all things. They remained watchfully silent as Emily and Danir entered, taking their cue from curt gestures that he made for them to follow. Danir was glad of their presence, familiar with their style and efficiency, mourning that only one remained with the heavy autocannon useful for intimidation and destruction.

Emily looked over them critically and gave a short nod, and headed for her Darknova. She climbed inside and into the pilot's seat with long-practiced ease.

Danir and the squad moved with ponderous inevitability to follow, having no need to call upon the inner workings of their armor's teleporters for such mundane tasks. They arrayed themselves stolidly within the ship as space allowed for their bulk. The trip was equally uneventful, bringing them to the landing field with continuing silence and apparent lack of interest. The city was clearly alive, riotous lights blazing in the dimness.

Emily's frown deepened as they approached, and she landed the ship and went to climb out the hatch and took a better glance around from the ground. The liveliness of the city in the distance was belied by an underlying unease, many elements which were once present sounding a discordant note to Danir's practiced eye as they emerged from the Darknova.

"It's as though they wait a coming storm," he growled disgustedly and shook his head, motioning sharply for the squad to form up around Emily as a shield. "The administrative buildings are this way, Mistress." He gestured.

Emily said, "Perhaps they are." She went to follow with them in the direction that he indicated, glancing about darkly at their surroundings.

Several other craft were making use of the field at the moment, though the greater part of it was empty and barren of signs of life. No slaves scurrying to repairs or refueling, no follower of one foul God or another making their presence known in their own unique ways... Danir scowled and moved to lead the way with thunderous intent.

They arrived at the administrative complex and entered only to find it apparently as quiet as the rest. A single desk in the entryway was barren of anyone waiting to direct visitors or grovel before august arrivals, the sleight one which rankled deeply and he stalked further within along a familiar path without word.

"They've certainly laid out the red carpet here," Emily snorted sarcastically, peering around darkly at the area as she continued on after him.

"Blood will flow," Danir snarled as his only reply, that they would forget the whip and sword of the traitor legions was unthinkable... and a sin worthy of ruthlessness in atonement.

He led them to an elevator, clearly designed with the realization of the incredible loads it might be required to accommodate and fitting Emily and her entourage with a bit of room to spare. The doors closed, though hitching and grating at the last moment and bringing a deeper scowl to Danir's already dark expression, and it rose to the top floor. Plush carpet covered the floor as they exit, a sumptuous waiting room containing a surplus of places to lounge in repose greeting them... and yet the desk here was empty as well. A single door led further inward.

"One has to wonder if anyone is in here at all," she muttered darkly, heading toward that door simply to ascertain such.

"Allow me," Danir growled.

He walked ahead to open the door through the expedient of sending it spinning into the room beyond with a hammer of his fist. Much to the surprise of the planetary overseer, a greasy-looking man who rose quickly from the seat behind his desk with a gasp of shock, only remembering to refasten his trousers a moment later as they entered.

"Wh-what's the meaning of this?" the overseer managed weakly, wincing a moment as something caught briefly in his zipper.

"So," Emily said, stepping up toward him. "Someone is here after all. One would stand to wonder about that, considering the complete lack of anyone seeming to care as my Starfire-class cruiser approached the planet. I am Emily Jordan, High Priestess of the Nameless Ones, the Gods of Life and Death, and you'd better have a good explanation for this."

"Indeed," Danir snarled, letting loose a flicker of his temper and gripping the edge of the desk to send it shattering against the wall, revealing an androgynous figure kneeling beneath it and looking more than a bit terrified at the moment.

"I.. that is..." the overseer waffled, looking between the strange woman and the known and clearly pissed-off quantity of a Chaos marine, and vacillated between indignation and groveling.

The eyes on Emily's talisman flickered a reddish-pink hue, and she started glowing faintly. "Start talking," she said firmly, giving the figure that was under the desk barely a glance at the moment.

"I, uhhh, that is," the overseer replied, clearly regaining a bit of equilibrium as he hadn't been immediately shattered, mauled, or worse, though a sheen of sweat on his forehead shows he knew things weren't nearly over. "I'm afraid you've come at a bad time, things have been quite hectic around here for a while now since... well, we've had all sorts of problems."

"Oh, do please go on," Emily said. "I'm sure if you aren't capable of handling the job, you can be replaced with someone who _is_."

Danir grinned fiercely at that, servos humming as he opened and then clenched the heavy power-fist while the flaring red of his eyes showed his clear desire to lock it about the other man's neck.

The overseer gulped visibly, not missing the intent, and turns his full attention to Emily as the seeming sole hope of sanity in the room. "You have to understand. It's been impossible to get even the defense forces to work! Everyone's just gone to do their own thing, and hell with the way that things're supposed to be. I could only do so much in the face of the general malaise that's settled over the planet... Please," he added in a groveling tone, glancing at her armored escorts with a shudder. "You have to believe me."

Emily stepped up toward him and said, "The destruction of the Gods of Chaos is not an absolute thing," she said quietly. "There are other places, other universes, other dimensions, other timelines. Things which might have happened had things gone a little differently at different points in history. I am from a galaxy not so very different from your own, separated by many millennia. And _my_ gods are very much alive and well."

She decided not to add jokingly 'Except for Dirania, who is very much alive and sick, but...'

The overseer took the track of the topic as a positive sign, clearly relaxing a bit as he nodded and made all the appropriately sycophantic sounds. "Delightful," he said as she finished, smiling with a used-car dealer's grin. "How can I and the world of Vindictus be of service then? I'm sure we can come to an arrangement that would be mutually beneficial to all those involved!"

"There are ten of them," she said. "All the ones you are familiar with, plus a few more... This planet is to be brought into the service of the Nameless Ones."

"Of course, of course!" the man replied with growing confidence as the seconds ticked by. "I'm sure the population will be ecstatic to see a return of the Gods or their kin, as the case may be. Certainly it would prove little difficulty in stirring at least some of them to the task of reorganizing the masses and setting them back to work."

Emily pulled out a data pad from somewhere and tossed it to him. It contained a detailed list of the Nameless Ones, descriptions of each of them, their spheres of influence, symbols, colors, etc. She snapped, "See to it. Now!"

The overseer nodded energetically, looking at his desk with a wince, then scurried from the office without a word to access the terminal in the waiting room to begin preparations.

"Kill that one and any who follow will not be so likely to slack in their duties, Mistress," Danir rasped. "Mercy and forgiveness are signs of weakness that the masses will latch onto."

Emily made no reply, turning to glance to the other being which had been in the office with the overseer.

The being had remained motionless and silent since being revealed, its solid black eyes watching Emily without giving any hint of its thoughts. From appearance, it was clear that there was definitely an otherworldly origin for the creature even though its slender form appeared to be nothing more than human.

"And what of you?" she demanded quietly but firmly, addressing the being.

It tilts its head at the question, looking up at her silently for a moment as a forked tongue flickered to wet its lips. Emily's senses likely detected a heightened curiosity and attention poking about her, clearly coming from the entity itself.

The eyes in Emily's talisman were currently a vibrant pink. The face seemed to be looking, grinning, directly at the being.

The dark eyes turned with sudden attentiveness to the talisman, a soft coo emerging from its lips as it was drawn toward Emily, its movements a sinuous crawl. A hand reached out as though to touch the talisman, but stopped suddenly and drew away as it settled back on its haunches and reverted to the form natural to a daemonette. It looked up at Emily with sharp attention, then leaned closer to nuzzle her hand.

"Yes.." Emily said quietly. "Known by a different name, yet the God of Pleasure is a clear reflection of the one you are doubtless familiar with, hmm?"

"Yesss," it replied with a sibilant, sultry voice. "Always do we know our Master. What service, what pleasure is your command?" It had been too long since seeing one of the greater among them, and the opportunity was an ecstasy beyond the mere physical.

"Now, I must gain control of this world and set things in order again," Emily said pensively. She stared off listlessly about the room, and commented absently, "You would perhaps find interest of many of those upon my ship."

"Many of interest have I found upon this world," it replied softly, gazing up at her with silent adoration. "The dark hearts of men are mine and my broodmates to command. Perhaps something of that may be used to your desire?"

Emily grinned faintly and said, "And quite effective at that, I would imagine. For the children of the greatest of the gods, the one who turned time to his favor, and twisted the spell that would have bound him. May the dark blessings of Sheniro be upon you," she said, lifting a hand as the talisman's eyes flickered brightly.

The daemonette smiled in delight at the approval and blessing. "I will seek counsel of the others who have remained," it purred, "Always have the other gods forgotten or misunderstood the true power of our Master, even Tzeentch would only dream of the secrets which we have forgotten! The dark whispers in the night are our gift to you, Mistress, we live only to bring you pleasure."

Fleshly delights and indulgences were heady drugs indeed, and things which might never see the light were ever discussed by the shadows in the wake of passion sated. There were likely a great number of beings who could be brought to their knees far and wide by the seemingly 'harmless' daemonettes who were merely there to please...

Emily, grinning, gave a nod to the creature and said, "Go, then, and help to bring them under the sway of their new masters."

"Yesss!" the creature replied eagerly, rising in a sinuous coil and brushing lightly against Emily in passing as it headed for the door. It stopped before leaving, turning back for a moment. "Beware the overseer's ambition. It spans far beyond what he already holds." Without another word, it turned and slunk from the room to head about the duty assigned to it.

"Pfah," Danir muttered, watching the creature depart despite himself, still subject to the depths of seduction that they exuded.

Emily turned back toward him after the daemonette left and said quietly, "You would be wise not to underestimate the power of Sheniro."

"I do not underestimate the power of that one," Danir retorted, "Chaos Undivided does not pay service to any one aspect, however, and I will not trust those creatures beyond the range of my guns." He shook his head, dismissing the lingering image of the creature with a snarl. "Regardless, what next on your agenda? I live to serve." He smirked.

She gestured to them and went to head downstairs again. "Generally such would be true," Emily said as she walked. "I was not exaggerating when I said that Sheniro had influenced matters in his favor, however. Although he is not, in the Ethereal Plane, more powerful than the others, he has far more influence upon the physical plane than they do."

"Only fools succumb to the wiles of those creatures and their ilk," Danir replied, ignoring the overseer as they passed back through the office and made their way through the building. "Fools or the suicidal. Too often have I seen what surprises may come of their brood, their reach is far and broad, and their influence insidious and treacherous even beyond any of the other Gods."

"I would have guessed as much," Emily said, touching the talisman lightly. The eyes had gone to a paler shade of pink now. "But it was Sheniro himself whom I encountered in the shifting winds of time, after we traveled into the past following the destruction of the universe at the hands of the Nameless Ones..."

"How fortunate for you," Danir replied, deliberately bland, his expression blank as they exited the building as a hovercar drew past and into the nearby field reserved for employees. "It would seem that at least one has answered the overseer's lash with alacrity," he remarked dryly, the woman climbing from the car fairly unremarkable, if decidedly nervous-looking.

Emily stood by, watching quietly, and murmured, "Oh, sure, quite fortunate, after he possessed my own father and..." she trailed off and wandered off.

Insane babblings were nothing new or notable amongst the ranks of Chaos, and Danir paid that no heed as he and his men moved to maintain the massive cordon around her. "Your next step, Mistress?" he prodded, not having any particular inclination to wander aimlessly through a city that would likely inspire him to insane rage and bloodshed... on the other hand, that _did_ hold some appeal.

The talisman's eyes shifted to a deep blood red. "Make sure they're doing their jobs," she said with a low snarl, stalking off to do just that. "And hell to pay on anyone that isn't."

"There are ways, and then there are ways..." Danir replied with an unpleasant chuckle, the sudden bloodthirsty turn not phasing him in the least and catering to his own inclination.


	2. Taking Control

As they approached the city proper, though, it was pretty damned clear that if anyone was working at all it would be a bloody miracle. Beings of all types and descriptions jostled each other in the streets, leading to brawls or orgies where the mood struck.

Humans, mutants, the occasional daemon, and a fair smattering of the heavier-built physique common to the genetically engineered genome of the space marines and their traitorous kin. On further consideration, the whores, bartenders, and drug-dealers were likely doing booming business in the current situation, even more so than usual.

Emily glared around in disgust at the place, it reminding her of nothing so much as the perpetual disarray of Torn Elkandu before the cleansing of Chaos, and even afterward it seemed pretty aimless. "And it was allowed to degenerate to _this_?" she growled.

"Apparently," Danir replied with equal disgust, remembering when the place had run far smoother and with greater efficiency than the mindless revel that was running rampant now.

Emily was kept in a circle of relative calm by her escorts, their heavy armor and ready weapons not going unnoticed by the crowd who either gave them a wide berth or got heedlessly trampled underfoot. More than one 'prostitute' they passed paused in their normal routine to watch them with glittering black eyes which were alight with inner glee, then they returned to their network with the passing of the one who had returned for them at last.

"Hmm," Danir muttered thoughtfully, carelessly raising an arm to pump a stream of bolter fire into a passerby who drew too close and appeared too aggressive. "You wish to draw attention, eh?"

"Quite so," Emily said stubbornly, glaring harshly at people nearby. This would not have been tolerated on any good rebel base, except perhaps one run solely by the Euphorians, and there was a good reason why most people didn't allow them sole administrative control over an area.

"Follow me," Danir replied cryptically and moved through the crowd, the Terminators gaining an even greater berth as they turned to using their close-combat weapons freely at his direction.

He led them to an unassuming establishment, built of ceramcrete and apparently quite solidly insulated... the reason for which became quickly apparent as they went past the entry foyer and were assaulted by a cacophony of ear-battering sound. Danir paid it no heed beyond a smirk, instead circling behind the bar and pushing the tender roughly away before reaching down and ripping out a handful of wiring. Silence descended, other than a sudden chorus of snarls and growls from the formerly placid patrons.

Emily went along, making a face a bit at the noise, and she turned to look to the patrons in a bit of annoyance. There was a time for work, and a time for play, and they had clearly forgotten about the former.

Danir let the growls and snarls go on a moment, the smirk turning ugly as he looked from one of the patrons to another and made idle note of the ones taking advantage of the 'services' offered by the androgynous kin of the daemonette they'd seen earlier.

"So," he said conversationally, the room falling thoughtfully silent as the Terminators brandished their live weapons, "You assholes going to sit here, or are you ready for war?"

Listening as a murmur arose among them, though the current was hard to judge it was tending toward a bit of resentful interest, he circled back around the bar and gestured to Emily. "Listen up and listen good, there's work to be done. Mistress?" he motioned her toward them, "The Noise Marines are awaiting your word."

Emily stepped toward and gave them a look over and said, "You want your pleasures? Fine. But you will _earn_ them. This complacence is unacceptable. Fair luck on you that those who approached were not so hostile to you as those which could have been! You will serve the Nameless Ones now, and they will not tolerate that."

The approach didn't seem to garner much more than a few grumbles and a guffaw, a few of them turning away from paying any attention to her at all. All that was left to a Noise Marine in the service of Chaos was pleasure, the ecstasy of unleashing the fury of sound that they were renowned and feared for, what did they care for someone coming in and looking to deny them even that? The quiet, in fact, seems to be making them... irritable.

Emily gave a coy grin and said quietly, "But earn them you shall." The talisman's eyes glowed violently pink for a moment as a wave of pleasure washed over the room for a moment, then stopped.

The wave of pleasure didn't even seem to affect them, their other senses so dulled by unending years of sybaritic pursuits that only the cacophony of sound she'd heard on entering was able to bring them any real enjoyment. Not to say that the few disguised daemonettes weren't set alight by the experience, and renewed their more subtle enticements to those they're attending to listen... yesss, listen to her...

Emily rolled her eyes faintly and muttered irritably, "I'm sure you'll get along fine with the Glyphans up aboard my ship." The eyes turned darker.

"If I may be allowed, Mistress?" Danir asked, eyes narrowed to slits as he looked out over the increasingly restless Noise Marines. He knew how to get them moving, to get them motivated, as long as they weren't so far gone that Slaanesh itself couldn't pound it into their skulls.

Emily nodded curtly, not looking toward him but still irritably looking at them.

Danir nodded equally sharply and walked forward, raising a hand to chatter bolter fire over their heads and stitching a ragged pattern in the ceiling. "Listen up, maggots," he said, not raising his voice as yet. "Times have changed, and the gods are back. Stop fucking around and get back to work, there's worlds out there just _dying_ to hear your songs of destruction. We're going to start right here, in fact."

He grinned fiercely at the flicker of interest that brought, the marines once again noting that Danir and his troops were fully armed and armored where that wasn't generally allowed in the city.

"That's right, boys," he continued, his voice rising. "It's time to wake this shit heap town up again, and you're going to be the fucking alarm clock! You going to sit here, or are you ready to make some NOISE?!?"

The result was not quite as unanimous as might be hoped, but a good three-quarters of those present rose and roared in sudden enthusiasm at the prospect of a good down and dirty fight tailored to their skills. Of those who remained... Danir's eyes marked them silently.

Emily smiled faintly, the eyes brightening a bit again. "Quite so," she said, glancing toward the ones who didn't seem so enthusiastic about it. Something chill seemed to touch on them for a moment.

"Five minutes," Danir said, turning to the sergeant of his crew. "If they're still here and not moving then, kill them. They're useless to us." Those who had answered with some enthusiasm were already gathering their things together, and he looked back to them. "Meet outside when you've got your shit together."

Emily stalked toward the door to head out to the streets again without another glance toward the occupants of the building. Her head was spinning somewhat and the gemstones on the talisman are shifting color erratically again.

Danir walked out after her, leaving the task to his men and quite confident that it would not only be accomplished but spread by word of mouth by the daemonettes. He stepped out as she did, moving immediately into guard position to watch the crowd in the street silently.

Emily murmured quietly, "Andron is the God of Mercy. Of course, his idea of 'Mercy' is killing the weak and useless." She gave a faint smirk. "I wonder if that one ever existed here..."

"That's just the way of things," Danir replied matter-of-factly. "Strength and power brings survival, the weak are not worthy of the gifts of Chaos and are to be culled at any opportunity. Those who remain longer than the limit I specified are just such ones, too far gone to be of any use to the continuing purpose of Chaos as a whole. They will not be missed."

"It would surprise me if they still lived even upon speaking the name of that one," Emily murmured. "That is why they are called the Nameless Ones. Speaking their names alone is enough to call upon their powers. To the point where few people even still know their names."

"I doubt they would, nor do I care," Danir replied. "It's enough that they're useless here and now, and may indeed prove a benefit in the long run as a sign of the ruthlessness which will be used in the pursuit of your goals. You may hold my service, Mistress, but it is I who knows the ways of Chaos here and will manipulate them as needed. Always to your benefit, of course." He chuckled dryly at the last.

Emily chuckled softly. "I never much liked having to deal with Glyphans and Euphorians back home."

"Dealing with any of the specialized devotees of Chaos can be... trying," Danir replied. "A focus on one driving aspect assuredly provides greater power within their sphere, but it definitely leaves a great deal of leverage for those who know how and are willing to use it."

Noise Marines had begun filtering out by this point, and were gathering in a knot nearby.

"Of course, the main problem with dealing with Glyphans was always figuring out where they put the speakers so I could shoot them," Emily commented wryly. She glanced over to the ones coming out absently.

Five minutes passed, the greater bulk of the Noise Marines having emerged and moved to wait nearby with increasing agitation, but Danir showed no inclination to move on until they were reformed as a group. His men came out at almost exactly a minute later, the few daemonettes moving at their heels and making discreet gestures of obeisance to Emily before merging into the crowds.

"Return and collect your gear," Danir directed to the marines. "Then meet us at the central plaza. I doubt that anyone will even have bothered keeping an eye on the armory." He snorted derisively, and the marines moved off as the Terminators moved to encircle their commander and Emily once more. "At your leisure," he directed to her.

Emily watched the daemonettes for a moment before they disappeared into the crowd before turning and heading in that general direction. She kept her eyes forward but the eyes of her talisman remained vibrant pink.

Danir led the way through town, not paying any heed to the occasional idiot who drew too close or failed to get out of their way quickly enough and was cut down. He was long familiar with the concept of death as mercy in the way of the god she'd mentioned. It kept them strong and culled those from their numbers who would be a liability against their many enemies. 

They reached the central plaza at last, a broad and open expanse with throngs scattered here and there in varying states of worship to their aspects. Corpse-like followers of Nurgle were isolated to one side, their pustulent and running sores earning them little favor from the more hedonistic crowd.

"Clear them out," he snapped to his men, gesturing to a raised platform at the center where a writhing mass of flesh could be seen.

Emily looked briefly over toward Nurgle's former followers, making a bit of a face, then up toward the platform. At least the talisman's eyes had cooled to a smoky rose color now. One had to wonder how she had any control whatsoever over her roiling sea of emotions, spurred on by the urgings of mad gods.

The Terminators crossed the plaza, making no allowance for those who got in their way any more than they had on the road here, and ascended to the platform with the thunder of heavy armored feet. A scattered few paid immediate attention, though it wasn't to the marines that the androgynous creatures looked as they broke away from the mass and scurried clear of what would come. 

No one else seemed to be paying the least heed to anything beyond immediate gratification, and the first slice of blade, caress of flamer, and explosive bolter rounds caused immediate widespread panic. The marines didn't care. By this point they were about as disgusted with what they'd seen as Danir and Emily, and they turned their savage fury on the weak-willed celebrants with a vengeance.

The smell of blood and charred flesh quickly permeate the air, Danir taking an appreciative whiff of the perfume and the scent of fear that rose with it. Most of the others in the plaza departed quickly, their own survival instincts worrying them that _they_ would be next, but a very small few survive the abattoir of the platform.

"They are fools," Emily muttered in disgust once things died down a bit. "Like those damned Elkandu. Too caught up in themselves to see what's going on around them." The air around her fizzled a bit but she only stared.

"Indeed," Danir replied dispassionately.

He was amused at the handful of daemonettes that drew near for a glance before dispersing once more into the crowds. Was that always the case, or a new development due to the change of mood here? An interesting question. He gestured Emily toward the platform as the Terminators completed their work and began shoving remaining bits of this, that, and whoever off the edges.

"A system is emplaced here which will allow communication through the cities scattered across Vindictus," he offered in explanation as he headed that way. "The Noise Marines are merely an attention drawing gambit, one that I thought you might enjoy for its shock value."

Emily chuckled softly and gave a nod. "I would imagine so." She went over toward the platform and looked about coldly. "It will suffice, then," she muttered.

Work progressed to clear the platform of debris, though one of the Terminators turned to checking on the system and making sure everything was ready to go once the marines arrived. That detail was one that had Danir frowning for a few minutes, deepening to a scowl until he heard the distant sounds of heavy tracks moving. At that, he laughed and shook his head, knowing the wait was nearly done.

Emily gave a cruel grin as she glanced about, surveying the place briefly. "Soon enough," Emily murmured. "And the Nameless Ones will not fall so easily... It was a group of foolish Elkandu attempting to kill them that allowed them to break into the physical realm wholly in the first place..."

The platform was thick with blood, but that didn't bother Danir or his crew in the slightest as they went about their duties. Shortly, the sound of tracks became louder, along with a cascading chorus of shouts and screams that were brutally cut short. Their cause became clear as two Chaos Rhino transports sped into the plaza and skidded to a ground-splintering halt nearby. Noise Marines came pouring out, clearly re-equipped.

"Took your time getting here," Danir addressed a sergeant in the lot, then glanced at the tanks with a smirk at the evidence of blood and formerly living detritus adorning them. "Laudable improvisation, however. Have your squads deploy and prepare for transmission. You know the drill."

The sergeant snapped a salute and starts chivvying his men into their places, their weapon-instrument humming in anticipation. Emily grinned a bit over toward them, nodding somewhat in faint approval, the sight and smell of blood in the vicinity serving only to make her a touch hungry...

Preparations were completed in short order, and Danir turned to Emily, "Ready when you are, Mistress. Speak the word and the Noise Marines will do their part, which should be sufficient lead-in to what you wish to address to the disorganized hordes of..." his voice had begun to rise at that and he snarled a bit, then continued, "Give the word, and it shall be done." He motioned to his men and went to head off of the platform.

Emily nodded a bit and turned to them and said, "Do it." She did look at Danir pensively for a moment.

Danir gestured sharply to the Marine sergeant, and circuits clicked into place as a low, subsonic thrum echoed through the plaza, slowly rising in intensity and pitch. Dread and fear were generally inspired by the first moments, and heightened until it reached audible levels, at which point a cacophony raged through the system set in the various cities. They truly enjoyed their work and held it for a long minute. Emily almost wished that she didn't have to introduce these folks to the Glyphans.

Suddenly, though, silence descended, and Danir motioned to Emily silently.

She said, "Good morning! Now that I'm sure all you worms are paying attention... Know that this planet now belongs to the Nameless Ones, the Gods of Life and Death! The alternate-timeline reflection of the gods whom you formerly knew! I am Emily Jordan, the High Priestess of the Nameless Ones. If you serve well, you will be rewarded well. And if you do not, you will be cut down like dogs and sacrificed to the Nameless Ones!"

Danir, getting the impression that the extent of what Emily had prepared had been said, walked back up onto the platform and took the stage. "What does this mean to you, you might ask," he said, "Who gives a flying fuck about someone claiming to take over in the name of the old gods, right?"

He let a moment pass to let the faceless masses consider that in silence.

His voice was cold as death itself when he continued, "Believe that, and you _will_ be slain, without mercy and without hesitation. Vindictus has become a DISGRACE! All those sworn to its service will report to their stations within the next day, or they will be hunted down in the streets and exterminated. The factories and shipyard will return to their preparations for war, to bring a river of blood flowing from our enemies. Those who stand in the path of Chaos are weaklings and fools, remember this well and heed that which has been said... or know the coming of destruction."

He signaled curtly for the transmission to be cut and stepped away to return to his men.

Emily stepped away as well, well enough satisfied at that. She quirked a faint grin and said, "And they'd damned well better listen, too."

"Indeed they'd best," Danir replied grimly. "Though it's now imperative to see that guards are placed at points where they might seek to rearm themselves in defiance. No need to take foolish chances."

"There is that," Emily said. "Although should it come to it, the Cruel Whisper should have sufficient firepower to quell much but the heaviest resistance. I've a squad of traitor Death Dancers aboard, as well..."

"Never leave to chance what simple preparation may make sure of," Danir replied, then nodded to her. "If you will excuse me, I will see to the minute details required without any need to disturb you."

"Aye," Emily said in agreement. "Though it's good to prepare and always be ready with a backup plan should that fall through."

Danir nodded curtly and headed off to do precisely that, though their resources on the ground were slim enough it wasn't something that greatly troubled him as they would be the ones with full weaponry while others... he chuckled coldly as he approached the sergeant to set them to work.

Emily stalked about darkly. She _would_ be more comfortable with the Death Dancers at her back as well, although the ones she did have were fair close enough at least. It was hard to come by the traitorous Death Dancers after the re-establishment of the Empire with them back in their old position of honor again. But as with any group, not all of them were entirely happy about it.

The sergeant scurried off to set up guards on the weapons caches. A helmetless figure clad in black and red power armor walked to the back of the gathered mass to see what in nine hells was going on.

Apparently a fair amount of chaos, plus a good deal of blood and noise was going on. Emily was wearing tight black leather with a glowing silver talisman around her neck, pacing about thoughtfully. She probably looked slightly out of place. He looked across the way, noticing the tanks and heavy weapons. The figure scratched his chin thoughtfully with his gauntleted left hand, looking at the scene and sizing things up.

"What is it you require, m'lord?" the helmetless figure asked. Danir sent the Aspiring Champion over to Emily. 

Emily glanced up and looked absently in the direction of the one arriving on the scene, although not particularly caring overmuch she was hoping that someone else had decided to be smart instead of get killed.

He bellowed something at the back of the crowd, but nothing happened. Suddenly, a good half-dozen people went sailing into the air as the right hand of the armored figure, sheathed in a massive power fist, sent them sailing with a brutal uppercut.

"I...said...MOOOVEE!" he shouted again, and this time people listened.

Emily smirked faintly to herself as she watched the spectacle, vaguely amused. The huge fist sparked with purple energy, a number of long, serrated blades going up the back of the palm and ending in nasty talonesque points. Apparently, the mass about a hundred feet forward didn't hear or didn't care, as he was stopped again by the press of bodies.

Left to itself, Adrienna's manipulation on her mind would have had her feeling guilt, remorse, and the like, but that had all been twisted around thanks to Sheniro's influence. Instead, she only ended up feeling dark amusement, although without his influence upon her mind she'd doubtless almost be a normal person.

His face twisted into a mask of rage. He held the fist up and splayed the fingers apart. The talons flipped from the back of the hand to the fingertips, extending out into lightning claws. He put his entire body into the horizontal swing that followed, felling everything in the arc like a thresh to grain.

The collective arterial spray and flying viscera got everyone else's attention, and they fucking well moved. He retracts the claws and continued forward, absently flicking a piece of gore off his face with his left hand. Finally making it to the front, the figure stopped and looks at Emily curiously.

Emily looked down at him. The silver talisman looked down at him as well with vibrant purple eyes. His face was pale and sallow. One large scar dominated his face, running horizontally from his left eyebrow down to the right side of his chin. The eye it crosses was milky.

He bowed, "Yes, m'lady?"

"You certainly put on some fair entertainment," Emily said, her lips twitching in a bit of a smirk.

His armor was, as all the Chaos Marines she'd seen, baroque in design, with silver filigree edging black plating and sanguine shoulder pads.

"Fools." He snorted, looking back at the crowd. "They should know their place and know not to impede an aspirant's path."

"I have noticed a fair many fools upon this planet. But they will learn, or they will die."

"I will not be found among their number. You are the one that seeks to lead these people?" he asked plainly. Using the word "people" as loosely as he could.

"Yes. I am High Priestess Emily Jordan."

"Devoted to these Nameless Ones?"

She gave a short nod.

"And these Nameless Ones are like the gods of Chaos?"

"Indeed so," Emily replied. "There are ten of them. All the ones you are no doubt familiar with, plus a few more."

"Well, I preferred no single one, so I have no problem with that. Same rituals, different names." If nothing besides kill-happy, he was pragmatic...

"And neither will they be destroyed so easily..."

His lip curled a bit at the mention of his former deities being "easily destroyed", but maintained composure.

Not that Emily really knew the details of what happened anyway. "But no. That is not how it shall be. Not at all."

"So be it. I am Nihilian Vaxdal, Aspiring Champion of the Black Legion...or what was once the Black Legion. Regardless, I pledge myself to your cause, that I might find further religious enlightenment in it."

Emily's face quirked in a dark smile and she said, "And enlightenment there shall be. Know that there are ten deities in the Karzan pantheon. Four of these are the Gods of Life, and six the Gods of Death. The ones who serve the former only are called Primos, and those who serve the latter are Urians."

"Are we all-encompassing, or...just sixty percent?" He smirked.

Emily touched her talisman. "I am the High Priestess of both the Gods of Life and those of Death. But I imagine the ones called 'Life' are neither wholly unfamiliar to you, for they include the reflections of the ones who were here called Slaanesh and Tzeentch. Likewise, among the Gods of Death there are those much like those you called Khorne and Nurgle."

"The Lord of Pleasure, the Lord of Change..." he echoed after the "life" bit, "The God of Slaughter, the Embodiment of Plague... How does one such as myself serve the "Life" side of this pantheon? Helping the grass grow from the blood I spill?"

Emily gave a nod. "There are also the gods of Betrayal, Deception, Torment, Mercy, Creativity, and Hierarchy. The mistake of the Primos was in not understanding the place of death. And because of that, the God of Mercy turned away from the Gods of Life and became a God of Death, the God of Merciful Death, culling the weak and helpless."

"Merciful death?" He looked almost confused. "You mean, not torturing your victims to within an inch of their life before finally killing them?"

Emily smirked faintly. "Not precisely. His commandment is only to kill the weak and useless. The God of Torment, however, is quite happy about torturing them within an inch of their lives first." She smirked.

"And once tortured to near death, they are weak and useless..." Nihilian smiled as he sees the loophole.

"And as for the Gods of Life... Creativity does not necessarily imply creation. It might also, of course, include creative means of torturing and killing people, technically."

He cracked a wide grin. She noticed all his teeth were sharpened, triangular points. Some of them were made of metal.

"There are, naturally, those in my own galaxy who serve only one god, short-sighted as that may be," Emily said. "The ones serving the God of Pleasure called themselves the Euphorians, fittingly enough. Those of the God of Creativity are the Glyphans. Oddly enough, the Glyphans tend to make 'music' of such nature that these Noise Marines might appreciate..."

He smirked, looking over at the marines. "Emperor's Children?"

Emily snickered softly. She vaguely thought back to a previous encounter with such, and the what became of said encounter.

"So what is it, Priestess Emily, that you can do that will bring this throng of living, breathing insanity under your control?"

"Whatever it takes," she replied.

"A promising enough answer...you must have _some_ ability to command." He looked at the Terminators and Rhinos. "What is still needed to be done on this planet?"

Emily chuckled softly. "I am a warrior first and foremost. I have been a Death Dancer since I could lift a blaster. And now I have the power of the Nameless Ones at my command as well."

"As we use them, so do they use us." Nihilian remarked.

Emily gave a wild grin rather indicative of someone who wasn't particularly sane. Nihilian had seen that grin a million times, and cracked it himself a million more. 

"My question stands, my lady. What remains to be done with this planet?"

Emily proceeds to explain in no uncertain terms precisely what she intended done with this planet. Which probably involved plenty of brutal yet effective ways of getting people to do what she wants. It sounded like music to Nihilian's ears. The Black Legion was always known for strict discipline in the ranks, and he'd like to see things getting back to somewhat the way they were. Of course, being an Aspiring Champion meant that he was usually one of the ones dishing out the discipline rather than receiving it...

Emily said, "I certainly won't tolerate the complacency that allowed my ship to fly into the system and into orbit, to land, and walk right up into the overseer's office unchallenged."

"I desire a semblance of order brought back as well. My Legion was highly disciplined and this shamble is inexcusable... but I didn't have the power to do it. Sure, I can kill multiple opponents at once, but eventually the mass would overwhelm me. Now that you're here... well, problem solved." He cut that wicked, shark-toothed grin again.

Emily chuckled faintly. "That was the other failing of the Primos. One Death Dancer is said to be worth a thousand Primos. There were billions upon billions of them, but it didn't really matter, as no matter how many of them there were, no matter how glad they were to die in the service of their fucking Empire..." Emily snorted in disgust.


	3. Getting Established

A bit of time had passed, the routine of organizing and setting things into motion a far cry different than they might otherwise be considered in more civilized lands. Many had died, whether at the hands of fellow cultists or at the claws of Emily's champions, the latter wholly at her whim as to whether they lived or died.

All told, the denizens of this world were quickly growing accustomed to the new order... it wasn't like it was really all that different than the old one, in truth, just paying homage to a different set of gods where anyone might hear you and staying as far beneath the attention of any overseer who might take offense at your continuing existence.

Ferreting out the unfaithful and the traitorous had been made considerably simpler by the presence of the daemonettes, the witches having a sense for likely targets plotting sedition or anything else which might displease their mistress. Heads had rolled, and another list was presented to Emily this day at the clawed hands of a daemonette.

"A most favorable week for discerning the faithless, Mistress," it cooed.

"Excellent," she said, glancing over the list. "You've done well."

She looked off thoughtfully, the eyes in her talisman gleaming a pale magenta. There was time enough, she thought. She wondered how her agents she had left behind were doing back in Karzan.

The daemonettes didn't have names, per se, even though they did choose usenames for convenience at times. They didn't require them, each being as distinct to each other as any human might be, and this one was readily identified by Emily as the first they'd encountered on this world.

"Your indulgence, Mistress?" it asked hesitantly.

"Oh, just thinking about how things are going back home. It's been a while since I've gotten a report back from them."

"I am certain all goes as you wish it, Mistress," it replied with the conviction born of utter faith in its god, then continued with uncharacteristic awkwardness. "So I would hope here, as well, yet there is one thing which worries me, a small thing beside your radiance and yet something I cannot dismiss from thought."

The alien thought process of the creature would drive most beings mad, but they still contained elements common to other races... ambition and a drive for success and victory at all costs high among them.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Emily said. "They've already subverted a major religion followed by trillions of people. Tell me, then, what concerns you?"

The creature slunk nearer Emily, its black eyes hungrily fastened on the amulet and then shifting their gaze to her face.

"It is those you choose to wield the lash in your name, Mistress," it replied. "The one is weak, but ambitious, the other..." it paused, tongue darting to its lips, "That one is driven and strong, it concerns me..." There seemed to be more it wished to say, but hesitation again arose.

"Speak," Emily said encouragingly. "I would hear what you have you say."

It gained some measure of ease from Emily's tone, though it knew better than to accept it fully at face value in the face of her tempestuous moods, and let slip a fang-bared smile.

"I would offer you additional certainty, Mistress," it said. "There are many ways that mind could turn, whether to loyalty or unthinkable treason to your might, but I could watch and inform you where best to slip the blade if needed..." The smile turned a bit more bold. "Should his star prove ascendant and your plans bear fruit at his blade, then I would likewise hope to share some small taste of the largesse granted him in victory."

Emily gave a coy grin, and the gemstones glowed a vibrant pink. "Mmm. Let it not be said that credit not be given where it is due."

The daemonette lifted a hand as though to touch the amulet, but yet again stopped just shy of it, the shifting color to the one of her own master a source of complete and utter fascination for a moment.

"Then if you desire it," it replied softly, "So shall it be, as there is certainly no possible reason to doubt one of your own..." it grinned, "Ambitious? Thirsting for greater heights from which to sate pleasure? Yes. Disloyal? Never."

The talisman's eyes became an even more brilliant hue, and Emily grinned and said, "Why do you shy away?"

"You..." the daemonette hesitated, uncertain, then tilted its head to study Emily's face with an alien stillness for a span of breaths. "You are our master, and yet..." It bit its lower lip in thought, bringing a bead of blood with its fangs. "You are still unknown in ways, Mistress, and that leaves me cautious and uncertain. A new experience."

Strange enough, she thought, for all the centuries in which she never knew such emotions as that. Emily grinned coyly and said, "Then know me." She took a step toward the creature.

The daemonette's focus sharpened instantly and intently at that, the hand rising to trace clawtips ever so gently along the curve of Emily's lips. Its slender tail lashed to and fro in agitation, considering, then the creature rose lithely and drew nearer to whisper, "Your desire is my wish, Mistress."

Emily definitely desired to engage in various forms of entertainment which need not be detailed.

Time passed, the daemonette surely living up to its calling in the interim and indulging in many of the delights available to its brood. The world beyond passed by irregardless, however, and eventually a heavy tread could be heard approaching the office and quarters which Emily had taken possession of while she was planetside.

Emily grumbled a bit and stretched, then went to see who it was and what they wanted. Vaguely remembering to put her pants on first, as well.

The daemonette lounged, dark eyes following her mistress, only diverting attention as it tilted its head. "It is him..."

That declaration proved to be true as Danir's heavily armored fist struck lightly on the door to announce his presence and wish for an audience.

"So I hear," Emily said with a faint smirk. He was hardly the epitome of stealth and subtlety. She went and opened the door for him.

The creature emitted a throaty, sultry chuckle, rolling over on its stomach to watch, its tail curling lazily hither and yon. Danir's expression was stone as Emily answered the door, not an uncommon sight, but he nodded politely down at her in greeting.

"There are things to discuss," he said bluntly.

"Then let us discuss them, shall we?" Emily drawled. She was certainly in a good mood today, as indicated by the continued warm glowing pink of the gemstones of her amulet.

Danir nodded curtly and stalked into the room, noticing the demon and pointedly ignoring its presence for the moment. Emily notices that the complex array of decorations had been scoured from his armor, leaving only gleaming expanses of black and copper piping to accentuate it. The only austentation he'd kept were the spiked racks at his shoulders... each of them bearing the rotting heads of recent opposition.

He crossed to a desk and set a datapad on it, motioning her to it. "See for yourself. All is going as well as may be expected on the materials front, you have all the makings of an empire... but not the men to fuel the engine of war." He barked sharp, bitter laughter.

Emily picked it up and glanced over it absently. "What about the women?" she said with a faint smirk, rhetorically.

Danir looked at her strangely. "What of them? I don't think you grasp my meaning fully. There is a far cry between the cultist scum who were left to patrol this festering world and the might of the legions who went out to smite worlds. Unfortunately, the Crusade cut through flesh and bone here, and there are _perhaps_ a few hundred that I would consider worth anything more than throwing out as targets."

"Of course, of course," Emily said, pacing thoughtfully a bit. "What of the ones I brought with me? We have a saying back at home, that one Death Dancer is worth a thousand men." She chuckled. "Or maybe it's that you're not really a Death Dancers until you've _killed_ a thousand people."

"I don't doubt the mettle of your troops," Danir replied, though the tightly held expression he bore might say otherwise. "But it is still nowhere near enough if you seek to expand to the true scope of empire. For example, one bright point I've found is a corrupted Imperious-class dreadnought which had yet to be prepared before the Crusade and is now near completion in the shipyards... That is a mighty ship indeed, including the world-destroying weapons which the false emperor has ever held close to his own fist... and it requires a minimum crew of a thousand. The astropaths and navigators were already delivered and have been found, and I have already seen to most of the crew compliment, but that says nothing of the warriors which would travel within and their drop pods."

"Mmm, excellent," Emily said, musing a bit. "And you wonder who might crew it, then. If necessary, I'm certain I could ... locate something."

"It's not that, Mistress," Danir replied, his preoccupation with the more mundane aspects he'd been dealing with falling away and bringing a faint quirk of brow as he turned toward Emily and noticed her state. "What is it that you wish, precisely?" he asked, refraining from asking and certainly wanting no explanation of the daemonette's presence at this point.

"To take over the world. And the next one. And the next one. Alternatively, to attain godhood, but that doesn't really seem too likely at the moment."

"Then we require more men," Danir replied simply, with utter certainty. "We can surely destroy the lighter held Imperial worlds, even if our forces are insufficient to take on the stronger. We cannot, however, perform the type of operation required to assault and _control_ them." He emphasized the point with a clenching of his armored fist, as though squeezing a world of its very lifeblood.

"Mmm-mmm, yes, indeed," Emily said. "And aside from bringing in more troops from home, where, then, might you propose attaining them from?"

Nihilian, in the meantime, had been assigned a variety of duties that were well-suited to his inclinations, lashing the cultists of this world back into shape and seeing that the machinery of war was reassembled. There were growing pains, of course, but enough cracked skulls and shattered bodies tended to make even the insane think twice when faced by an aspiring champion.

His latest endeavor, in fact, had dealt with a manufactory dedicated to the production of the hellish Defilers and Predators which were the mailed fist of Chaos in any assault. The problem had been minor, overall, and he was probably disappointed that he was only required to kill five or six people before the point was driven home. He had been instructed to report when the task was seen to...

Nihilian arrived, plate boots making a clamour on the floor. "Mistress, the..." He looked at her half-dressed figure and faltered, hoping he hadn't walked in on something, but continued, "...the Defilers and Predators are under construction as we speak."

Danir smiled coldly, the light of his eyes glittering with equal ice. "I would not presume to state the obvious without considering alternatives. There are other worlds, some likely held as loosely as this one in the wake of the Gods' disappearance, but they would provide nothing more than we already have... it is the outposts and fortresses that we will need to seek out."

Emily nodded to Nihilan, not seeming to notice her own bare tits, and said, "Very well." She turned back to Danir. "Give me the locations of some likely prospects, then."

"Is there anything else you would have me do, mistress?" Nihilian asked. "The factories are running and the conversion is going relatively well."

Danir offered a nod of acknowledgement and a thin smile to the news, that was at least one less problem which faced them and one which would prove of considerable use in future operations. "There are a number..." he began in answer to her question, then raised a hand in a staying gesture as he listened to his armor comm, his expression becoming, if possible, grimmer.

Emily quirked an eyebrow and waits patiently for him to explain the nature of the interruption.

"It would seem that we have intruders," Danir explained, gesturing them near. "I have arranged for the Terribilus to rendezvous and teleport us aboard, if you wish to accompany me. The source of the threat is not yet fully known, however, and I will leave that to your discretion." He activated a device in his armor, a beacon signal that would gather any within a certain distance when the ship passed.

"Intruders? Very well," she said, glancing briefly toward their company.

"Something to _kill_?" Nihilian's eyes went from zero to bloodshot in about two seconds.

The daemonette wasn't about to pass on the opportunity and slithered from the comfort of its perch to kneel beside its mistress. A sound of approaching footfalls signaled the arrival of Danir's retinue, the five Terminators rumbling into the office and taking post around their lord without hesitation.

Danir chuckled thinly and replied cryptically, "Perhaps."

A moment's disorientation enfolded them, and the dark gods' favor seemed to be with them as they emerged in the dimly lit and foul-smelling confines of a Chaos ship.

Emily glanced about briefly and asked, "Where are these intruders?" Her gemstone eyes had shifted to a pale yellow-orange hue now.

Nihilian flexed the fingers of the powerfist, the energy field cracking to life around it. He also detached his chainaxe from his back in his normal sized hand.

"Follow me," Danir replied, clearly still listening to the comm. "They penetrated the outer perimeter of the system detection net a few minutes ago, their classification and identification are not yet known."

He led the way through the halls of the ship, the smells of rancid oil and corruption thick in the air and rust apparent everywhere... yet vivid decorations were carved everywhere, leering demons and the like. Emily gave a nod and proceeded to follow him, admiring the architecture a bit along the way thoughtfully.

"Looks like home." Nihilian said in a low voice and with a crooked grin, following to the left of Danir.

They arrived on the bridge in short order, the twisted forms of the astropaths scurrying out of the way of the mass of metal that invaded their inner sanctum.

"Report!" Danir barked out.

One of the astropaths, perhaps senior or possessing some smaller fear than the others approached deferentially. "It would appear to be a number of strike cruisers, vile lord, consistent with the design of the Grey Knights."

Emily gave a frown, folding her arms across her chest casually, and demanded, "How many?"

"Four, oh malevolent mistress," the astropath replied, the blind whites of his eyes seeming to be no impediment as he took a definitive step away from the heavily armed marines, then made a squeaking sound as he realized that puts him nearer the daemonette...

Danir merely laughed at the report, striding past the man to look at the image surfacing with greater clarity. "That's it? That's all they bring? Fools!"

"The Grey Knights are some of the best psykers the Imperium has to offer...but _four_?" Nihilian said.

Emily snorted in derision, looking to see the images of the ships and their relative size. The gemstones turned a more vivid orange-red as she said, "The Death Dancers will be pleased for target practice."

Danir chuckled. "At ease, boy. Their tonnage and firepower are far too little to take on this single battleship, much less the weight of the orbital defense platforms or the fleet of Hell Blade fighters awaiting them. I don't understand it..."

He gazed thoughtfully at the display, considering what possible reason for this madness there might be. The riddle became even more puzzling as the ships slowed and then stopped far beyond any possible range that they might engage the Chaos forces emplaced here. Terribilus thundered toward them, the demon engines screaming with the voices of a million tormented souls as the weapons began to build power.

"What...?" Danir began, as a chime sounded to signal an incoming transmission, and he glanced at Emily in question.

Emily murmured, "What are they up to..." She gave a gesture indicating to hear the transmission, frowning thoughtfully some more. Gemstones turned red-violet.

Nihilian glared at Danir. "Watch what titles you throw about. I am an Aspiring Champion and a Chosen of Khorne, you would do well to remember such."

"Silence, whelp," Danir snorted absently in reply, "Learn the difference between aspirations and command."

His point was made for him as the heavy weapons of his retinue shifted in no uncertain terms to focus on Nihilian, but he paid that no more mind as an image of a severe, slender woman in the garb of an Inquisitor appeared.

"I am Inquisitor Ilane," she said, "And I seek parley with the new master of this world."

Emily restrained laughter and said, "Parley? What a novel concept! Oh, very well, let us parley before killing you, it shall be amusing."

"You would do well to listen," the woman replied. "The Lord of Change does not choose its followers for lacking wit. State your terms, I will meet them."

Nihilian glared at the Terminators and inwardly snarling at Danir for using others to enforce his will, but focused his attention (and pent fury) toward the new arrival.

Emily did put on a straight face at least, if only through confusion, and said, "Terms for what? You have approached us, state your business, then."

"I would speak with you in person," the Inquisitor replied. "Not all who are aboard these ships are privy to the true nature of our voyage here..." She smiled a cold, vicious smile. "Consider them a gift, provided you have the means to attain it... which I suspect you do."

"Mmm- _hmm_ ," Emily said, gemstone eyes switching now to a blue-violet. "Very well, then, we shall speak in person." She grin-smirked faintly.

The Inquisitor nodded sharply. "Transmit your terms, and it will be done. I have placed sufficient numbers of _loyal_ crew among these ships to make your task simpler as well."

With that, the image flickered and vanished, and Danir looked to Emily with a calculating eye at the numbers surely present there. "If she speaks the truth, then some part of the difficulty regarding manpower may soon be alleviated."

He flicked a signal to the Terminators, their weapons returning to more casual repose in its wake.

"This...Inquisitor wishes to lend aid?" Nihilian said.

"So it would seem," Danir replied thoughtfully, armored fingertips drumming thoughtfully against his thigh. "Corruption can indeed cut deep, and that particular endeavor of the false emperor would seem more prone to... enlightenment than others."

"I do not believe all is as it may have first appeared," Emily said smirking to Nihilian. "Very well." Though she still wasn't sure just precisely what was meant by 'terms'.

Nihilian sheathed his axe, face twisted into a snarl.

"I will see to the details, Mistress," Danir said politely. "My men can escort you to a chamber suitable for a meeting while they are attended to. I am certain that negotiations of approach will prove... interesting considering the internal divide which many do not yet even realize."

Emily grinned faintly, and gave a nod. "Yes, yes. It should prove most entertaining." She proceeded to head off to do that.

The Terminators acted as honor guard, remaining properly placed around her at all times as they led the way through the ship to the captain's quarters. Danir thought it would suit Emily's fickle moods well enough, the chamber lavish and decadent in its appointments.

Emily was calm now, and pleased enough at the decor, and went to take a seat and wait for the arrival of the one to whom she expected to speak.

They were left to their own devices for a while, the process of arranging the meeting a ticklish affair in light of the internal situation and maintaining the facade for the Inquisitor. The distinct sound of hulls mating rung throughout the ship after a while, however, and shortly thereafter the woman was escorted into the chamber by Danir. Alone.

She was lightly armored and still armed, and she studied the scene impassively for a moment before approaching Emily unerringly. "Inquisitor Ilane," she said, then smirked. "Or perhaps former Inquisitor would be more accurate, but I am at your service."

She would not be unattractive, her features well-sculpted and framed by chestnut hair, but her face was drawn in cruel and unforgiving lines.

Emily gave a nod to her in greeting, and said, "Well-met, then. I am Emily Jordan, High Priestess of the Nameless Ones."

"The Nameless Ones?" Ilane inquired, "I had been led to believe that a significant change had occurred, but no hint or forewarning was forthcoming regarding this... oddity."

Emily's mouth twitched with a faint grin, and proceeded to launch into an explanation of precisely who and what the Nameless Ones are, and where they were from. The former Inquisitor listened closely to the dissertation, readily assimilating the information as she had for the last number of years in her former duties.

Nihilian was currently staring at the Inquisitor as to burn a pair of holes through her. Intense didn't begin to describe it.

"I see," Ilane replied thoughtfully, a hand idly caressing the butt of the bolter pistol at her hip, but the gesture was ignored by Danir as he recognized a habit when he saw one... and she wouldn't be given the chance to draw it regardless. "I presume, then, that the Lord of Change, Tzeentch, is no more?" she asked, arching a brow.

"The equivalent gods of this universe have been destroyed," Emily replied. "However, rest assured, there is one much like him amongst the Nameless Ones... Idile." Upon merely speaking the name, a rush of invisible, raw energy seemed to sweep over the room for the briefest of moments.

Ilane's eyes glimmered with pale light as she clearly sensed the flow of power, tasted it, and nodded simple as she found it satisfactory. "So be it," she said, "What then do you command of me? The contingent I brought has been seeded with those I know to be loyal, but I cannot guarantee all of them. The Inquisition has fallen upon hard times of late in the Empire." Her eyes glittered with heat and hatred as she said the last.

"Good," Nihilian said flatly.

The brief comment drew the Inquisitor's attention for a moment, and she coolly appraised the speaker before turning her attention away in a clearly dismissive fashion.

Emily said, "Your timing is fortuitous, for although we have gained control of this world, and many of those under my command are quite good at what they do, we do not precisely have an army just yet."

"There are skilled navigators and astropaths, as well as full crews for all four ships, but that isn't all..." Ilane chuckled coldly. "The assault force I requisitioned will suit your design well, and measures have already been taken to minimize their impact."

"Mmm, yes, yes, most fortuitous," Emily said. "I had feared I would require bringing further forces from home..."

"You will find the design specifications and crew complement for all of the vessels accompanying me aboard my ship," Ilane replied. "It is composed of fully loyal troops, and we are at your disposal."

"Excellent, excellent," Emily said, tapping her chin faintly. She'd been thinking of home a lot lately, and was slightly concerned about the lack of word back from it. Some might say no news was good news, but when she'd expected news, that probably wasn't so good.

Ilane could recognize the end of a conversation when she heard one and offered a polite nod to Emily, only now flickering a single glance in the direction of the demon crouched nearby.

"Shall I see to it then, Mistress?" Danir interrupted, recognizing that point as well.

"Yes, yes, of course," Emily said offhandedly, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Nihilian stepped forward and offered a quick bow. "What would you have me do now, mistress?"

Danir nodded in reply, recognizing the swaying fortunes of Emily's mood as well, and gestured for the former Inquisitor to follow him. The woman made no complaint, and they departed quickly with the Terminators in their wake.

Emily turned her attention to him, and said, "I require information on the current status of the Karzan Galaxy, and why they have not reported back as to the progress of their activities."

"And if progress is slow, shall I hasten it?" Nihilian asked.

"Mmm, yes, yes," Emily said, grinning. "You'll want to take one of the Darknovas aboard the Cruel Whisper, that'll get there faster. Head for Epsilon Station. Maps and coordinates should be in the ship's database."

"At once, my mistress." He bowed and exited in short order.


End file.
